Guard Duty
by JackBunjeeKiki
Summary: Sequel to Cigarettes. Percy accidentally angers one of the most powerful immortal demigods in the world. Crypta's back and *very*angry. Nico's ticked off at both of them. What could possibly go wrong? Rated for language.


_Guard Duty_

**Booka: *grinning* Hey guys! Guess who? Yeah, it's me, Booka, back from the Underworld! So, this fanfiction is basically the sequel to my first fanfiction "Cigarettes". This is the first time that ****Percy**** (not Nico) and Crypta meet. It's a couple of months after the Last Olympian. Let's just say that in order to regain peace among the gods, Percy had to double-cross Crypta and leave her chained in a cell in the Underworld. Yeah, don't think too badly of him; he had no choice. If he let her escape, she would've returned the Sword of Hades to, yeah, Hades. If you want to pity someone, pity Percy. Crypta's pissed and sooner or later, she'll get her revenge. **

**WARNING! Do NOT read this fanfiction if you have not read 1) Cigarettes by yours truly and 2) The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan. Repeat: Do NOT read this fanfiction if you have not read Cigarettes by myself and The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan.**

**Disclaimer: Um, do I own Percy Jackson and the Olympians? No, I'm not Rick Riordan. All the credit goes to him for coming up with this awesome idea. The only thing I own is this story that happens to be underneath this Author's Note.**

**Rated for language.**

**So… on with the story.**

The gods of Mount Olympus were not happy. Anyone could tell. Thunder and lightning rolled across the sky of New York City, the clouds dark and ominous as they swirled around the spire of the Empire State Building. In the long, spacious hall of Zeus's Palace, the twelve thrones of the Olympian gods were filled and seated, a temporary honorary seat made of obsidian and onyx for Hades at the end. Hestia was seated in the middle of the room, tending a gleaming orange fire with hot red coals in a pit made of stone. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon stood nervously at the foot of his father's throne which was made to fit the God of the Sea when he was ten feet tall. This was a first in history; a demigod allowed at the meeting on Mount Olympus on the winter solstice. Many had never even thought of the idea. As it was tradition, all the gods were wearing traditional Greek tunics and dresses, including Percy. For some reason, this made him even more uncomfortable than ever. Though the soft tunic was far from discomforting, made from a frothy white material he could not identify and worn with long, lace-up sandals that came up to his knees, he could not kill the idea that this was something that pronounced foreboding news.

_If only Annabeth and Grover could see me now,_ he thought to himself dryly. In truth, the clothing looked good on him. It complimented his well built torso and lean limbs while the white cloth contrasted with his Mediterranean tan and long black strands of hair that insisted on falling into his eyes despite the leather band that circled his forehead. His eyes were his most attractive feature; a clear sea-green color that described the ocean in exotic locations, surrounded by thick, dark lashes that curled against his cheeks when he blinked. But appearances were the least of his worries as he heard what Hades had to say.

"As Perseus Jackson has already told you, on the winter of two years ago, my wife Persephone went against my wishes and ordered the making of a weapon to aid in the war with the Titans. This weapon, as you all know is the Sword of Hades. This sword is an extremely powerful blade as it has the power to summon the dead from my realm… and the power to damn the Living with one touch. Perseus and his companions Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus and Nico di Angelo, my own son, retrieved the sword when it was attempted to be stolen by the demigod Nathan Nakamura, son of Nemesis. But yesterday, I was given news that a second attempt of thievery would be committed before sundown of today. My best and most powerful servants were put on the job of guarding it, but I believe that they will not be enough to stop the unknown foe."

There was a long period of silence, in which the tension was thick; Percy could taste its sourness on the tip of his tongue. Then Zeus spoke. "We will help you, brother. But I cannot let you keep this weapon. It is too powerful and vulnerable to thieves. Not to mention while you have two symbols of power, Poseidon and I have only one. This creation of Persephone's upsets the balance and the laws of which we have built. When this thief steals the sword and we retrieve the weapon, Hephaestus will destroy it in his forge."

For a moment, Hades's eyes flashed black with anger; Percy winced and looked away, ready for the explosion. He had seen Nico's eyes do that once; not a pretty moment. Then, the Lord of the Underworld smiled, cold and maniacal. "Well, we'll just have to see who finds it first, then won't we?" he said, his voice unpleasantly sweet and sugarcoated. Percy grimaced again; he had heard Nico do that too. It was his plotting voice.

Poseidon announced steadily "Percy will have the honor of doing this quest. He has retrieved the Sword of Hades once; why not again?"

_Thanks a lot Dad, _Percy grumbled to himself as all the gods nodded in agreement. And so now he was in the dark and gloomy Underworld, running through the endless corridors of Hades's Palace, the sword having been stolen by some unknown person and he having no idea who it was; luckily he had ditched his ridiculous if not comfortable Greek tunic. Riptide was out and uncapped, gleaming bronze in the black of the castle. The inky, narrow corridors were lit by eerie torches that held flickering green flames, casting weird colored lighting and shadows creeping up the cold stone walls. This made Percy feel nervous and he was on edge, the merest sound (scurrying undead mice, a whistle of wind around the castle, etcetera) making him to jump out of his skin. Being in unfamiliar territory did that to him. Not being able to map out possible weaknesses or advantages in battle made him feel vulnerable and anxious.

Pausing, Percy heard an unexpected scream of, not fear or pain, but frustration echoing down the hall. He listened closely and followed the sound of the shrieks down several halls and stairwells, leading him farther down into the Palace dungeons. There! Behind bars was a chained silhouette, thrashing and screaming out in anger and aggravation. Cautiously, he started to edge towards the shadowy figure, thinking it could possibly be a trap (though the risk was relatively small).

Chained to the wall of the small, stone cell was a girl. Instinctively, Percy knew she was an immortal, with the layer of power that seemed to cloak her like a second skin. Despite that, she didn't look like much. She had pretty facial features, foxlike and clever with a sloping nose and large silvery colored eyes so pale they could have been water framed with thin, but long lashes. Her skin, though smooth and soft, looked yellowish and sickly like she had the flu and hadn't seen the sun in a couple of weeks (not that he was surprised; after all, they were in the Underworld). Her plump, cherubic lips were smeared heavily with black lipstick, glossy and thick. They matched her attire. She wore black gym shorts that came down above her knees with black tights stretching over the rest of her legs and a black V-necked t-shirt. She was barefooted, her hair was loose and a total tangled mess of dark brown, nearly black curls.

She presently glared at Percy and spat, her voice bitter from anger and humiliation "Are you gonna stand there staring all day or are you gonna help me, already?" It was her voice that put Percy on his guard; smooth and velvety with a seductive rasp at the end; it was the kind of voice that could persuade you to do anything.

"You're the guard that Hades put up to protect the sword." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

The girl rolled her eyes in irritation and growled "No shit, Sherlock. Now get me out of here that way I can kill that infernal idiot that dared to steal from my master."

Immediately, something clicked in Percy's mind. Nodding ever so slightly, he said in a reassuring voice "Don't worry; I'll get you out. But you have to tell me one thing."

"What's that?" she asked, suspicious now.

"Who stole the sword and where are they now?"

The girl whipped her head back and laughed harshly. "Ha! You really think I'm going to tell you that! It's my job to protect the sword and return it to my Lord. Not to hand over the instructions on where to find it to a complete stranger. Bah! You're slower than I thought, Poseidon's Spawn."

Percy smirked and dipped his head. He bowed mockingly and said "Oh, ok. If you want to rot down here in this cell, then that's fine with me. Then the thief will get away with the sword and we'll be at the mercy of an unknown thief because of your master. I wonder if he'll thank you for that. Hmm. Oh, well." With that, he turned to go and he could practically hear the girl weighing the options in her head.

"Fine!" she yelled. Percy turned on his heel and looked at the girl who was clenching her teeth in fury and frustration. "I'll tell you where the sword is. It was stolen by the centaur Thurax." As soon as the name was spoken, a shuddering vibration over took the floor of the Underworld. Percy could hear cries of panic echoing from Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel and The Fields of Punishment. The prisoner at his feet nodded grimly in agreement. "He was the first of his breed; and the most wicked."

"Wait, rewind a second. Centaurs aren't evil; sure, they're rowdy and annoying sometimes, but not _evil."_

The girl smirked. "Haven't you studied your family's history, Perseus? The centaur I'm talking about comes from the old time. About three millennia is how old I'm talking about. In the old stories centaurs were more than uncivilized; they were cunning and malevolent. They did things like capturing women and going on killing sprees and horrible stuff like that. But Thurax was the worst. He murdered one of the most beloved kings of Mysia, Belimonus. And he blamed the king's only and eldest son Orren. He planned to take the crown for himself and rule a new kingdom. He nearly got away with it too. But the gods don't like cheats; they sent down Hermes in disguise as a slave boy working in the king-to-be's kitchen. He poured hydra venom into the fraud's cup; Thurax died with his lungs on fire and poison rushing through his veins. Then Hermes appeared in front of the court as a god and declared Thurax's lies. The throne was restored to Orren and he was so grateful, he declared a new city in honor of the gods; the city ofἀλήθεια, or Truth in English. It was one of the most successful sacred cities in all of Greece. Thurax was eternally punished in the Fields of Punishment."

"How?"

"Thurax's greatest fear was of the dark. So Hades threw him into a cave of eternal Darkness with no sun, no light or windows."

Percy scoffed and said "He's scared of the dark? That's kind of pathetic."

The immortal shrugged. "Tell that to him, not me."

"Oh, I will as soon as you tell me where he is."

The girl glared at him as she snarled dryly "So much insolence it's insulting. Kid, if Thurax's greatest fear is of the dark, where do you think he's gone to hide?"

Immediately, it snapped into his mind. "Elysium!"

The girl smirked."Finally. I was wondering if you were really that stupid or you were just pretending."

Percy didn't answer; he turned away and began to race away from the dreary cell and its sarcastic occupant when he heard her call out "Wait! You forgot to free me, mortal!"

Percy stopped in his tracks and turned to grin at her wickedly as he said "Sorry, but I can't, she-devil. I've got a delivery to make to Zeus."

"You promised!"

"If you wanted me to keep my word, you should've had me swear on the River Styx!"

The last ominous thing that he heard as he headed towards the bright of Elysium was "You will regret this day, half-blood! As long as you have broken your promise, I will never leave you at rest! I swear it by my blood, Perseus Jackson!"

Everything after that was pretty much easy. Percy after defeating the black horsed centaur bestowed the sword to Zeus and then returned to Camp Half-Blood, despite Hades's protests and complaints (not to mention death-glares).

Leaning against the porch of his sea-themed cabin, Percy noticed a slim thirteen year old boy with silky black hair, a black aviator's jacket and pale, pale skin running towards him, fists clenched and face drained of blood in rage. If he hadn't looked so angry, he would've been pretty attractive; now, however, the only thing he looked like was angry. With a capital 'A'. Not recognizing the signs of irritation in the boy in front of him, Percy raised a hand in greeting, a small smile spreading across his mouth… that is until the boy fisted his shirt and slammed him into the wall so hard the foundation shook.

Percy's mouth dropped open in shock; now _that _was impressive, considering the boy who was lifting Percy up was about two thirds of the weight that Percy was.

"What the hell is WRONG with you!" the boy shouted into his face.

"What's wrong with _me? _What's the matter with you?"

"Me? Well, for your information I've just spent three weeks in the Bermuda Triangle searching for a dead terrorist who died in December! And while I've been tracking down that bastard in that literally godforsaken sea, you've been gallivanting through the Underworld making the most powerful demigod in existence pissed as hell at you! And I should know! I live in hell!"

"Nico, calm down! Take a deep breath or count to ten or something! What's going on?"

Nico glared at his cousin for a moment before letting go and watching with grave amusement as Percy dropped to the ground like a rock. "Well, for starters you happened to have left the most powerful demigoddess in existence chained up in a cell in the Underworld after saying you'd free her."

Percy blinked up at him from his position on the floor and asked, disoriented "What, the girl in the dungeon? That was the most powerful half-blood in existence?"

"Yes, and now she's practically the angriest immortal at you… at the moment at least. Who knows, tomorrow you could have Aphrodite on your case. Or, maybe Hades will be plotting your death next week."

"The sarcasm isn't helping, Nico, thanks," grunted Percy as he stood on wobbly feet. "Who is she anyways?"

Nico snorted as he said dryly "Oh, so _now _you ask. Well, that was Crypta, immortal daughter of Thanatos."

"Thanatos, as in…?" Percy tempted.

"He's the Greek god of Death."

Percy visibly paled as he croaked "Oh. So, does she have the same powers that he does?"

"Basically, yes. She can reap your soul in the most painful way possible. That's why Thanatos asked that Zeus if she could stay immortal for eternity. She helps him out when the death toll gets too high. But she can only kill someone if she had direct orders from Hades, so don't worry. But that doesn't mean she can't seek revenge. The only reason she's not here at this moment, cursing the entire camp is because I told her not to. You're really lucky I don't want you dead anymore," he ended with a smirk.

"Yeah, thanks," Percy said hoarsely; his heart seemed to have sped up a few measures as Nico talked. As his cruel imagination began to wander, he said abruptly "So… she's really mad?"

Nico sighed and shook his head with pity in his eyes, saying "It was nice knowing you, bro. I have to say, I don't envy you right now." Clapping Percy's shoulder, he turned on his heel and stepped off the porch and ran into the sidewall of the Zeus cabin, melting into the shadows just as his body should have made contact with the hard, unforgiving stone. Percy was at the mercy of his dark, foreboding thoughts and almost comical grimace of pain and apprehension.

_Finn._

**Booka: Phew! Finished, finally. I was beginning to wonder whether I'd ever get this done. Let me tell you, it's a relief to get this off my back. Yippee! Now I can continue my other fanfictions! Great, so yeah, Crypta's going to get her revenge sooner or later. *Spoiler Alert!* Percy and Crypta's relationship will always be a little rocky, but they'll learn to respect each other (grudgingly) soon enough. Nico's sort of like the glue that keep them from killing each other, since he's Crypta's best friend. Whoever crosses the line gets a time-out. Crypta's always going to be teasing Percy a lot, though. Friendly teasing, NOT flirty teasing! Ha, ha, yeah; they hate each other. I could always make a 'could-have-been' story for the suckers who think Crypta and Percy should get together, though. Now that I think of it, they would make a good couple… *Wriggles eyebrows* But, I'm a dedicated Percabeth fan, so it's probably not gonna happen unless more than a couple of you seriously want it. So, this is Booka signing off for now. *Salutes seriously before disappearing in a puff of blue smoke***

**P.S. Uh, yeah, there is going to be a third story! And I'm currently in the progress of another fanfic involving what Percy thinks as he falls from Hubbard Glacier in the Son of Neptune. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ **_**THE SON OF NEPTUNE BY RICK RIORDAN, **_**DO NOT READ! **


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